Empty the Landfills Bill

In order to reduce air pollution all across California, the recycling and compost bill will require all public facilities in California to have recycling and composting bins. The aim of this bill is to reduce air pollution in garbage landfills, especially the gas methane, which research shows is more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

The recycling and compost bill is important because of the immediate effect it could have on the air quality of California. According to the U.K Environmental Agency around ⅔ of waste in landfills is biodegradable organic waste, and often has lasting negative impacts on the environment. As this waste dissolves in landfills it becomes methane gas. Methane gas is 20-30x stronger at trapping gas in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, one of the leading factors of climate change. By requiring all public facilities to compost waste, this would greatly reduce organic waste in landfills and reduces methane emissions by breaking down the waste in soil. Composting enriches soil, the need for chemical fertilizers, and overall reduces carbon footprints. In addition to composting, requiring public facilities to recycle will make a big positive impact on the environmental quality of California. Recycling, like composting, reduces the amount of waste in landfills, retains natural resources such as wood, saves energy, limits the need to pollute by collecting more raw materials, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.